Konrad Wachsman’s Grapevine Structure: Timber Variations on a Pre-Existing Concept

Abstract

This paper offers a speculative reflection on the structural concept developed by Konrad Wachsmann in 1953 and built in timber by burkhalter sumi together with Marko Pogacnik IUAV at the Venice Biennale in 2018. The resulting construction, entitled the “Grapevine,” is analyzed according to changing, fragmentary viewpoints that aim to expand the field of its understanding. The Gestalt (shape)—to a certain extent the “aesthetic culmination” of the construction—is examined with regard to the object’s immediate perception. In contrast, a semantic approach questions and interprets the “Grapevine” according to its overriding meaning as a “modern totem.” The object is then brought into relation to sculptures by Joel Shapiro. “Figure” (1989) raises the question of the unstable balance as an artistic intention, while the detail of “étude” (2006) questions the fragility of the joint, in contrast to the rigidity of tectonic connections as assumed by Gottfried Semper. The argument thus comes closer to the conceptual orientation of the Wachsmann construction, namely the knot subjected to tensile stress. Centered on the “Grapevine” installation, this paper illustrates how timber knowledge is formed outside the academy, in dialogues between architects, engineers and timber contractors.